February 17th, 2010

WAHM Wednesday: Working Out

One of the things I think I feel I should be able to find time for in my work-at-home day is exercise. I don’t love exercise but I don’t love my current weight either and I’ve been working hard to incorporate yoga into my day. Well, I want to be working harder to include it! I find that I often have to work my day in small chunks of time to work around what the kids need. And to fit in exercise in small chunks feels strange, but I know that it has as good of results as working out in one long block does.

I guess it’s all part of the work-at-home lifestyle. If I have urgent work projects, they get priority in the morning so I can be sure they are done on time. Getting my oldest (and sometime my middle) ready for school is non-negotiable so that block of time is always occupied. Eventually tasks like changing the toddler’s diaper crop up, or the inevitable “I’m hun-gwee” plea is shouted at me – usually 10 minutes after his most recent snack.

Naptime is my biggest block of “free” time, but I often have to devote that to work, as it’s the most peaceful and productive time available to me all day, plus I worry about making noise and waking up the sleeping child! That means I fit in a workout just before lunchtime if I’m lucky. The first rush of work is done and naptime is still to come. But if I miss that window I have a lot of trouble finding the necessary motivation to do more than lay around on the couch come mid-late afternoon.  And forget evenings – between dinner, homework and last minute work I never seem to find the time. Except on Grey’s Anatomy night. Or Chopped. Or Amazing Race. Um yeah, in other words – I like tv too much!

Well, the Olympics are currently my tv candy of choice – and they are calling my name. Good thing I actually got in a yoga workout today, I don’t even have to feel guilty!

January 6th, 2010

Work at Home Wednesday

Getting back into the swing of things this week is really making time fly by. It’s Wednesday already?! Today is going to be just as busy as the first couple of days this week – I’ve got about 6 projects for clients on the go, I need to get some laundry done and I might actually make dinner today. I skipped that thankless task yesterday by feeding my boys piles of leftovers!

Speaking of thankless tasks and cooking – I definitely have to put that at the top of the boring but necessary things I do most days.  I’ve been thinking a lot about boredom since reading this post from The Happiest Mom yesterday. Meagan definitely put into words something that weighs me down. I love my life as a mom and a wife, but the routines that are so important to my growing children are the very routines that stifle me sometimes. Thankfully some of the suggestions in the post fit very well with what I want to do with my life this year anyway. I want to expand my mind and my thought processes. In fact, just yesterday I also commented on the Talk-Back Tuesday post over at Becky and Hollee where I decided I am going to make yoga a daily part of my life, even if all I do each day is ONE yoga pose. I’ve experimented with yoga off and on and I know I really enjoy it – I find it very calming and centering. And last night I actually, oh my goodness – followed through!!! I did the Warrior Pose – just for a couple of minutes. The first steps are the hardest though right? Taking even that one minute will lead to two minutes and three minutes and eventually enough minutes to help me grow!

Ok, enough blogging for now – must go do some exercise (Wii, EA Active today I think!)  Then it will be time for BabyBoy’s nap, aka quiet working time for a brief period of time. It’s the easiest hour of my day usually, when I can actually concentrate really well, instead of the usual juggling act of children’s needs, work and my own desires!

May 7th, 2009

Sleep is for the Weak

And just to be clear, I AM the weak. Which is my way of saying oh my goodness I am so tired. Again. What is with that baby of mine, he is starting to sleep “well”, most of the time. But when he wakes up at 4am (he gets a bottle) he sometimes insists on crying for 30 to 60 minutes afterward. Unless you hold him forever (he cries whenever you give up and put him back down – and he wakes up even more if I try bring him to bed with me).

So anyway, I’ve had a couple of rough mornings this week. And I’ve been going to bed late. And so the grammar in this post – not so good, sorry! I’ll wake up soon, I hope!

I was thinking last night of this lovely post for my blog about how helpful it can be for a wahm to get out alone for some fresh air and exercise when possible. I’ve been walking a couple of times per week with my BFF at night and it is so good for me mentally and physically. We meet between our houses and the first 10 minutes of walking I’m alone and blog post ideas flow so freely in my head. There’s just one little problem with it all. She isn’t available to walk until 7pm or so. I’m usually waiting until close to then for DH to be available to take over the kiddos too. I don’t mind walking then, but we take fairly long walks and sometimes hang out and visit afterward at her house. And it gets late. If I’m caught up on my work it’s all good but some nights, like last night, I come home and try to work for a little bit, and before you know it it’s almost midnight and I get up at 6:30 am for the day (plus the fun at 4am with baby). That is just not enough sleep for me. At all.

So what is a wahm to do about trying to fit in alone time/exercise time? I am working on fitting in Wii Fit in the afternoons right after 7yo gets home from school. I have enough time before making dinner for that and since the kids love to do the workout with me, in their  to own cute way, it’s a decent enough time. But I really love to get out for walks too and I want start biking occasionally at night. Guess I’m going to have to be more dedicated about getting the work done during the day, instead of saving it to do at night as is my wont. Getting to bed at a reasonable hour is a priority I can not, and should not, change. My brain just works so much better with enough sleep!